A sales-qualified lead (SQL) is a prospect who meets your ideal customer profile (ICP), has shown buying intent, and is ready for direct sales engagement. Marketing has vetted them; Sales owns them now. SQLs are further along the funnel than marketing-qualified leads.
A marketing-qualified lead (MQL) is a prospect who matches your ideal customer profile and has engaged with your marketing content, but hasn't yet signaled a readiness to buy. Marketing nurtures them; Sales doesn't call yet. MQLs are an earlier-stage funnel layer than SQLs.
Marketing automation is software that executes repetitive marketing tasks on a trigger or schedule without manual intervention. When a prospect takes an action (downloads a whitepaper, visits pricing), automation fires sequences (emails, ads, CRM tasks) that nurture them toward a sale.
Customer lifetime value (LTV) is the total profit a customer will generate over the entire relationship with your company. It's the revenue they'll bring minus the cost of serving them.
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is the total sales and marketing spend required to acquire one new customer. Calculate it by dividing your total sales and marketing spend in a period by the number of new customers acquired in that same period.
Conversion rate in B2B is the percentage of people who take a desired action at each stage of the buyer journey. Unlike ecommerce (visitor becomes customer), B2B has many steps: website visitor to lead, lead to MQL, MQL to SQL, SQL to customer.
A B2B sales cycle is the length of time from when a prospect first engages with your company to when they sign a contract and become a customer. It includes research, evaluation, negotiation, and approval.
Space technology companies operate in unique and rapidly growing markets including satellite operators, launch service providers, satellite communications companies, space infrastructure vendors, and earth observation companies. Space tech customers include established satellite operators (Intelsat, Eutelsat), emerging mega-constellation operators (Starlink, Project Kuiper), launch providers (SpaceX, Relativity, Axiom), and space service companies. These customers evaluate technology based on performance reliability, space qualification, launch compatibility, regulatory approval, cost, and long-term operational viability.
Nonprofit technology vendors serve unique B2B markets including nonprofits, NGOs, charities, foundations, and social enterprises. Nonprofit customers evaluate technology based on mission alignment, impact measurement, ease of use (nonprofit IT teams are often understaffed), cost affordability (nonprofits operate on constrained budgets), and demonstrated social impact. Purchasing decisions require evaluation by executive directors, program leaders, operations teams, development/fundraising teams, IT personnel (often part-time), and board members.
Mobility technology companies operate in rapidly transforming markets including autonomous vehicles, fleet management, transportation logistics, delivery optimization, and vehicle electrification. Mobility tech customers include transportation companies, logistics operators, fleet managers, automotive manufacturers, and ridesharing companies. These customers evaluate technology based on operational efficiency, vehicle utilization, driver safety, cost per mile, regulatory compliance, and capital investment requirements.
IoT (Internet of Things) companies operate in unique market dynamics where physical hardware, cloud software, connectivity services, and implementation support bundle into integrated solutions. An IoT platform selling connected sensors to manufacturing facilities includes hardware devices, sensor management software, data analytics platform, cloud connectivity, integration services, and ongoing support. Purchasing decisions require evaluation by multiple stakeholder groups across operations, IT, finance, and executive leadership.
A B2B sales cycle is the length of time from when a prospect first engages with your company to when they sign a contract and become a customer. It includes research, evaluation, negotiation, and approval.